Modern mines for the underground mining (extracting) of minerals in faces relocate more and more work to the surface. In this includes, above all, the monitoring and also the controlling of the extracting process. Providing for the extracting process with the mining installation to be visualized on the surface and for the extracting process to be optimized requires the precisest possible knowledge of the respective current position of as many installation components as possible such as, in particular, of the face conveyor with a possibly installed machine control system for an extracting machine, of the extracting machine itself and possibly also of the powered support assemblies of a shield-type support by means of which the face and the underground mining space is kept open and pushing of the installation components of the mining installation in the extracting or mining direction becomes possible. Since the position and situation both of the extracting and conveyor machine systems at the face and that of the installation components positioned in the roadways change due to the dynamic process, e.g. during the extracting of coal, a solution has long been sought for measuring and determining the situation of all of these installation components if possible in the three-dimensional space (3D).
From DE 1 246 647 A, a two-dimensional method for aligning a mining installation is known in which, after a certain work progress, the respective situation of the face conveyor is determined by means of a directional gyro which is moved along with the moving conveying element of the face conveyor and records the situation of the conveyor on a course recorder by means of an integrator connected to the directional gyro. Recording of the course by means of the directional gyro only takes place from time to time and the method is intended to progress in such a manner that the directional gyro only records position values when the conveyor is taken into operation. However, it is not explained in DE 1 246 647 A how the course recorder is to be read out and the measured values are to be transmitted to a face control system.
From the generic EP 1 276 969, it is known to move a measuring system with inertial navigation system along with the extracting machine in order to determine the position in the two-dimensional space of the rail guide of the face conveyor and of the extracting machine guided thereon. From the position data recorded by means of the inertial system, in turn, drive signals for moving devices are to be derived in order to be able to control the mining installation and the guide means, respectively, in the 3D space. By means of the inertial navigation system, situation changes referring to an initial or starting point are determined, wherein it is also possible to mathematically determine from the relative movements determined by means of the inertial navigation system absolute coordinates in the 3D space at least when an initial point is known in mine surveyor's terms. The measurement data provided by the inertial navigation system are coupled to the movement of the extracting machine.